12 June, 2011

Thank you for offering MY opinion

When did we stop caring about true feelings and opinions? Nowadays when someone gives their opinion they may be persecuted if it is not in line with what others may accept as an appropriate response.

Take for an example the recent Tweets written by Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rashad Mendenhall regarding Osama bin Laden. Probably the most offensive statement he made was when he suggested that we can’t judge bin Laden because “We’ve only heard one side.” Of course the furor he created caused Mendenhall to ride the apology express in follow up Tweets, reacting I'm sure to pressure to clarify his monstrous statements by stating "what he really meant".

Hello? I think a country that prides itself so much on freedom of speech should let someone voice their opinion and be done with it. Do we need to preface every statement with a disclaimer like: The following does not necessarily reflect the actual beliefs of the speaker, but he/she will tell you what you most likely would like to hear.

Then there was the Dixie Chick who said something about President George W. Bush that was taken as grossly unpatriotic. You remember President W, right? ... the man who launched the war with Iraq to show his old man how wars are done right, who claimed the war was ending when in truth it was just beginning. And now with thousands of our soldiers dead and wounded we will probably be fighting all over the Middle East for a very long time---like forever.

So please, tell me what you think, not what you think I want to hear. I don't have to agree with you, like all those people didn't agree with Mendenhall, and may even find your statement to be the most shocking and offensive thing I've ever heard anybody say. But I have to respect your honesty.